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A review by mundinova
Ablutions by Patrick deWitt
3.0
Reads more like a writing exercise rather than an actual novel.
I love Patrick deWitt's writing and have read all his other books: [b:The Sisters Brothers|9850443|The Sisters Brothers|Patrick deWitt|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1291999900l/9850443._SY75_.jpg|14741473], [b:Undermajordomo Minor|25089757|Undermajordomo Minor|Patrick deWitt|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1425914522l/25089757._SX50_.jpg|44778737], [b:French Exit|36300687|French Exit|Patrick deWitt|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1508961199l/36300687._SY75_.jpg|57969078], and just got the ARC for [b:The Librarianist|62645180|The Librarianist|Patrick deWitt|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1667503110l/62645180._SY75_.jpg|98409690] which I'll be reading next. Since I feel the need to be a completionist, to read all his books, I slated Ablutions right before The Librarianist. Rather glad this one is so short because a full 250 pages would be insufferable.
The writing is beautiful and the scenes and characters are well-formed. The second-person narration is a fun experiment but not necessarily suited to the subject matter. Having just finished [b:Interior Chinatown|44436221|Interior Chinatown|Charles Yu|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1639073843l/44436221._SX50_.jpg|69005176], which used the second-person to a brilliant degree, here it feels a little forced and misses the intended purpose. I understand deWitt wants you to sympathize with the Protagonist and the patrons of the bar, to put 'you' in their shoes, but short bursts of characters entering and exiting the bar become bit parts. Fully formed bit parts with nice histories, but nothing the reader can get attached to for long.
The only outstanding question is how this bar stayed in business with all the free drinks being given away every night.
Story: 1 star
Character Development: 3 stars
Writing: 5 stars
I love Patrick deWitt's writing and have read all his other books: [b:The Sisters Brothers|9850443|The Sisters Brothers|Patrick deWitt|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1291999900l/9850443._SY75_.jpg|14741473], [b:Undermajordomo Minor|25089757|Undermajordomo Minor|Patrick deWitt|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1425914522l/25089757._SX50_.jpg|44778737], [b:French Exit|36300687|French Exit|Patrick deWitt|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1508961199l/36300687._SY75_.jpg|57969078], and just got the ARC for [b:The Librarianist|62645180|The Librarianist|Patrick deWitt|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1667503110l/62645180._SY75_.jpg|98409690] which I'll be reading next. Since I feel the need to be a completionist, to read all his books, I slated Ablutions right before The Librarianist. Rather glad this one is so short because a full 250 pages would be insufferable.
The writing is beautiful and the scenes and characters are well-formed. The second-person narration is a fun experiment but not necessarily suited to the subject matter. Having just finished [b:Interior Chinatown|44436221|Interior Chinatown|Charles Yu|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1639073843l/44436221._SX50_.jpg|69005176], which used the second-person to a brilliant degree, here it feels a little forced and misses the intended purpose. I understand deWitt wants you to sympathize with the Protagonist and the patrons of the bar, to put 'you' in their shoes, but short bursts of characters entering and exiting the bar become bit parts. Fully formed bit parts with nice histories, but nothing the reader can get attached to for long.
The only outstanding question is how this bar stayed in business with all the free drinks being given away every night.
Story: 1 star
Character Development: 3 stars
Writing: 5 stars